


Start anew

by SpadesDame



Series: Building a future [3]
Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! Series
Genre: Adopted Children, Established Relationship, Fluffy Ending, Kid Fic, Light Angst, M/M, Multi, Parenthood, Polyamory, flareshipping
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-12
Updated: 2017-03-12
Packaged: 2018-10-03 13:43:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,969
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10247564
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SpadesDame/pseuds/SpadesDame
Summary: “Please,” Aki wailed again. Then more hushed, he said “we don’t wanna go back.”Or: The inevitable mess-up happens, misunderstandings follow, and reconciliatory ice-cream is consumed.





	

Yuugi paused his game when noise penetrated the headset at a moment of respite between chapters. He frowned and lifted one side to listen more carefully. Yep. Sure enough, Atem and Seto were At It again. Atem’s voice echoed in a hushed yet tense whisper with the tendency to rise into a hiss was followed by Seto’s harsh baritone, ringing louder and clearer.

What took Yuugi aback was the scuffle of feet and whispers in the corridor. He placed the controller and the headset on the couch and got up to investigate, only to feel his heart constrict at the sight. Aki and Rika were perched on the stairs, clutching at the landing. Aki was in tears, having a hard time holding back his sniffling while Rika looked sad yet stern next to him, a frowny pout deeply etched in her features.

In that moment, she could have really been Atem’s biological child, Yuugi thought, having seen a near identical expression on his face many a time.  

Aki’s red-rimmed eyes turned to him once he came in sight. “Please, I be good.”

Yuugi frowned. “What’s wrong, Aki? Rika? I thought you were asleep.”

“Obviously not,” Rika remarked.

“Please,” Aki wailed again. Then more hushed, he said “we don’t wanna go back.”

“Go back?” Yuugi asked, confused. He ascended the landing to kneel in front of them.

“Don’t play stupid. You’re gonna send us back. Won’t you? I knew this was a joke to you.”

“Back whe-?” Then it dawned on him, understanding crashing down like a bucket of cold water. “At the orphanage, you mean?” He was missing something. He didn’t yet have the whole story. How was he supposed to figure this out with all this yelling downing out his thoughts.

The yelling. The voices rang clearer here, the sound travelling upwards. Yuugi could hear enough to know that it was happening in ancient Egyptian, and was hence indecipherable to him. Gods knew what they were going on about this time.

“Pretty please. We’ll make no noise. You won’t know we’re here!” Aki begged again.

Aki was crying even as he spoke, the words coming out mushed and hard to tell apart. Yuugi couldn’t bring himself to correct his grammar under the circumstances. “Aki…” He began. Drastic measures were needed here. But first: truths. “We are not going to take you back. Why would we? We love you too much for that.” He wiped Aki’s face with gentle thumbs. “Whatever gave you this idea?”

“But you’ll break up.” Aki sniffled. “Who takes us then?”

“Huh?” Yuugi blinked, genuinely taken aback before realizing what this was about. He mentally berated himself for not understanding sooner. He had gotten so used to these idiots –if anyone had the right to call the loves of his life idiots it was him, because they were just that some times: idiots- he had missed the most obvious conclusion staring him right in the face. “Oh, sweet-pea… No. We’re not breaking up! Never. Never that. Your daddy and papa are just… really stubborn. And explosive. And reckless sometimes… and it’s no excuse. You shouldn’t have to be put through this.” Not knowing what else to do, Yuugi drew the child into his chest and held him, felt him clutch at his shirt. Rika stood stiffly to the side and Yuugi made to reach for her hand but it stayed limp in his own. “I’m really sorry you had to see this. I can’t promise you it won’t happen again. But what I can promise is that we love you and you will always come first. Never doubt that. We will never abandon you.”

“Really?” Aki asked shyly.

“Yep. Really.” Yuugi grinned before rapidly digging his fingers in Aki’s sides to insight a squealy giggle. “There, much better.”

“Pinky promise!” Aki cried between giggles, squirming away to hold up his pinky.

Yuugi laughed and touched his own to Aki’s. “Pinky promise. Definitely.”

“They fight like this?” Rika asked.

“Sadly, that’s a yes.” Yuugi sighed. “It looks worse than it is, trust me. They’ll get it out and then proceed as normal. Knowing them, it’s probably something as silly as an ice-cream flavor.” These kids had been through so much already, Yuugi thought they deserved only the truth, nothing less.

“Ice cream is important!” Aki interjected. Yuugi laughed and ruffled his hair affectionately.

“Sure is!” he agreed.

“But they’re okay,” Rika asked, still distrustful.

“Yes, Rika. I promise you. They adore each other. And me. And you two. In fact, come on. We’ll go and find them.” For a moment, he felt a sliver of doubt creep up to him, but dismissed it. They needed to know the consequences of their actions. They weren’t alone any more. This wasn’t about them. “Here we go.” He lifted Aki into his arms and stole a glance behind him to make sure Rika was following before walking towards the kitchen.

The door was open just a crack, and when Yuugi used one hand to push it open all the way, they came face to face with an intense glaring match. Yuugi cleared his throat loudly. “Um. Guys?”

They both blinked, startled, and turned to look at him. It seemed to take a moment for realization to hit that they were not alone. Then they noticed the kids. If the situation was not so serious, Yuugi would find their synchronized reactions comical. “Aibou?”

At feeling a light tap on his shoulder, Yuugi put Aki down only for him to run over and hug Atem’s legs as he looked by far the most approachable of the two. Yuugi could see the gears in Seto’s head still turning, and his ‘thinking’ face wasn’t giving in the least.

“Aki? Precious, what’s wrong?” Atem bent and scooped him up, holding him close to his body and using his free hand to rub circles on his back. _What happened?_ Atem tried the bond when he got no answer.

_Noise really travels upstairs, you know?_

_Oh._ Then more surely. _Oohh_.

 _It was really bad, ‘Tem._ _Not gonna lie._

Atem kissed Aki on the temple, then took his small hand from his shoulder and kissed that, too. With the arm that wasn’t supporting Aki, he reached for Seto. He pulled, fingers digging in Seto’s sleeve and Seto’s stiffness lasted but a second before all tension started to seep from his body. Without it, he just looked tired and old beyond his years. After another moment, he slid his own arm around Atem’s back, leaning against him ever so slightly.

Aki looked at him from under his eyelashes, forehead pressed to Atem’s shoulder. “So you’re not breaking up?”

“Breaking up?”

“What?”

Atem and Seto reacted simultaneously. They exchanged equally terrified looks before turning back to their audience. Seto recovered first, scoffing, even though he looked as haunted as Yuugi felt. “As if.” He snorted. “No, I am very obviously stuck with these two.” At Aki giving him the eyes, he relented, averting his gaze to admit “Fine. Okay. As if I would want to be anywhere else.” Then he leaned in to place a quick, flustered kiss on the crown of Aki’s head.

Atem smiled, a real if tired smile. “None of us is going anywhere.” He nuzzled Aki’s hair, making him giggle as it tickled near his ear and squeezed Seto around the waist.

“Pinky promise!” Aki cried excitedly, heartache apparently forgotten. Yuugi squeezed Rika’s shoulders as she was still standing in front of him and felt her shag in relief.

Atem chuckled, startled, and brought his arm out from around Seto to link his finger with Aki’s. Aki looked pleased and turned to Seto, expectant. Seto just stared like a drowned cat.

“Daddy~” Aki whined. Had he been on the floor, Yuugi expected he would have stomped his foot.

Sluggishly, Seto lifted his hand. His fingers were so long, even the pinky looked like it could wrap around Aki’s closed fist as they came in contact. Seto coughed and let go, sucking his bottom lip in his mouth and wrapping his other arm around both of them, blue gaze trained on the floor the whole time.

 _I feel awful_ , Atem admitted, even as he shagged further into Seto.

_I know. It’s definitely not okay, but we’ll make it. It’s just going to be a little harder._

_Got off on a rough start. Right. Got it._

_You’ll be more careful from now on._

Atem smiled a little at Yuugi over Aki’s head. _Come here. I want to hold you._

Yuugi let his amusement flow through the bond along w his love and support. _First you mess up and then you want cuddles._ Despite his words, he made sure Atem knew he was mostly teasing. He moved in towards them all the same, nudging Rika as well. Ultimately though, the decision remained hers.

He framed Atem’s other side, felt Atem relax against his side. Atem nudged his cheek with his nose, pressed a kiss to his jaw and said, sheepishly “I… guess the decorations for the event can wait, after all…”

“Hn…” Seto agreed. “It’s not for at least six weeks. You will hopefully have seen reason by then.”

Yuugi groaned, bumping his hip against Atem’s non-too-harshly, mindful of the fact that he was holding Aki. “Unbelievable.” He looked between them, trying to convey with his eyes what words couldn’t possibly be enough for. “You’re… ugh!” Frustrating. Infuriating. Maddening.

“I’m just glad we’re not leaving. Don’t care what you do with your time.” Rika said, looking away. “We got used to this place.”

Yuugi smiled. As sad as it was that she felt the need to hide it, Yuugi was glad for the meaning behind her words. It was a start.

“No way are you going anywhere now,” Atem pressed. He nudged Seto, fingers digging in his side. “Right, Dragon?”

“Hn. We haven’t finished building that drone, have we,” was what Seto ended up saying.

“And after that?” Rika’s fiery gaze snapped to them. Even in flowery pajamas, she looked menacing.

“Ah, after that,” Atem started, then smiled cheekily. “We might have to take a family trip to America. Right, daddy?”

Seto nodded. “The jet is big enough for all.”

“And our heart is bigger.” Atem dumped his nose with Aki’s in a little bunny kiss before turning his gaze to Rika again. “If we’re going anywhere, it will be together. Nothing can separate us.” Then he looked to Yuugi, a smile creeping up on his face. “Not time, not fate” turned to Seto. He kissed Seto’s jugular. “If our love is big enough to break time and space, then you have nothing to be afraid of. And it is. If you never trust me in anything else, trust me in this.”

Rika took a hesitant step forward, then a second. They became three before she jumped at Seto, climbing him like a tree until he hoisted her up, swung her a little in the air before she came to perch on his hip. He held her tightly and she wrapped her arms around his neck, saying not a word. Yuugi smiled and ducked his head, heart considerably lighter. Waves of warmth were emanating from Atem’s side of the bond, and Yuugi seconded it. He loved these men more than he could ever express, and moments like these were that reminded him of it with more surety than anything else.

Aki nudged poked Atem’s shoulder. “Papa?”

“Yes, precious?” Atem’s attention switched back to him.

“Can we get ice cream now?”

Atem blinked. Paused. Then broke out in laughter. “We can definitely do that!”

“What time even is it?” Seto asked, troubled.

“Does it matter?” Yuugi asked with a wink. “It’s always time for ice cream!”

After the night they had had, nobody was about to protest the statement.

**Author's Note:**

> As promised, Yuugi's time to shine! I wanted him to resolve a crisis, and my friend suggested something game related at first but... I wanted something that the other two would be incapable of solving at first. Then the answer was staring us right in the face. 
> 
> I'm up to discuss anything and everything, but I'm beat now. More notes and possible editing to come after I sleep. Zzzz...
> 
> If you have a minute to spare, I always enjoy your thoughts <3


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